Find out how popular the last name Nealey is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Nealey.

Nealey, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Nealey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nealey in America

Nealey is the 16876th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nealey surname appeared 1,689 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Nealey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nealey to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Nealey

The surname Nealey is of English origin, deriving from the town of Nailsea in Somerset, England. The name is believed to have originated in the 12th century, with early spellings including Naylsey, Nailsey, and Naylsaye.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Somerset, dated 1195, which mentions a "Radulfus de Nailsea." This suggests that the name was already established in the area by the late 12th century.

The name is likely derived from the Old English words "nægel" meaning "nail" and "ey" or "eg" meaning "island" or "dry ground," referring to the town's location on a small hill surrounded by marshes.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, the town of Nailsea is recorded as "Nailesei," further supporting the etymology of the surname.

Notable individuals with the surname Nealey throughout history include:

1. Sir John Nealey (1520-1589), an English diplomat and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

2. William Nealey (1670-1738), an American settler and one of the founders of the town of Hampton Falls, New Hampshire.

3. Nathaniel Nealey (1725-1803), an American Revolutionary War soldier from New Hampshire.

4. Harriet Nealey (1805-1890), an American abolitionist and women's rights activist from Maine.

5. James Nealey (1878-1952), an English cricketer who played for Somerset County Cricket Club in the early 20th century.

While the surname Nealey is not among the most common in England or the United States, it has a long and rich history, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages and connections to various notable figures throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nealey

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Nealey.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Nealey was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Nealey has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Nealey was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Nealey, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!